Another Guest

Aldrich was used to standing in a place where none wanted his presence.

All his life, people were giving him looks. Looks strange enough for a third person to understand, but Aldrich had always been a little different. In a glance, he could notice if the mass of people didn't want him to present. So when Enok mentioned him as Bastard and all the nobles lined up there nodded their heads, Aldrich couldn't help but remember a few parent-teacher conferences from his childhood.

This memory was sudden, as it came after crossing the barrier of time. A time equivalent to many millions of years or even more. There was nothing pleasant or unpleasant about those memories. But through these memories, Aldrich got to see the faces of his parents flashed by his eyes. A smile came upon his face, so sincere that almost none got to understand the pain hidden behind it.